With more than 3 million household forms submitted, it is no surprise that Australia’s most populous state, NSW, leads the field in the number of submissions following the recent 2026 Census of Population and Housing on Tuesday, August 11.

Victoria is close behind with 2.6 million forms submitted, and Queensland in third spot with just over 2 million forms submitted.

Unsurprisingly, Australia’s least populous location, the Northern Territory, has recorded just over 70,000 household forms submitted. Not bad though when you consider the territory has just over 250,000 residents.

In total, more than 10 million household forms have been received since Census night, according to the Census compiler, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The tally includes both the number of household forms submitted online and the number of household forms received in the mail, according to the ABS.

However, while the tally is indicative of Census activity, it does not provide the full picture for the country, the ABS says, because not all households have taken part.

“The response rate takes into account a number of factors that can only be determined after all forms have been submitted and quality checked,” the ABS stated on its website.

Dr David Gruen, Australian Statistician, praised the large number of Australian households that completed the Census.

“We saw a strong response from communities across the country. As of midnight (August 11) over two thirds of households had completed a Census form, which is higher than in the 2021 Census,” Dr Gruen said. 

“Each person's response contributes to building a snapshot of modern Australia, who we are and where we are going.

“To households that have not yet completed a Census form, I encourage you to do it as soon as you can based on where you stayed on Census night,” Dr Gruen added.

“In the coming weeks, we will follow up with households that have not completed a Census form and provide them with the help and support they need to do so.”

If you still need to complete your household Census form, visit census.abs.gov.au.